Henry Aaron enjoyed the greatest single moment that any right fielder experienced during the Modern Era. The Atlanta Braves star achieved immortality by swatting his 715th home run on April 8, 1974, breaking Babe Ruth’s seemingly indestructible career record.
But that amazing accomplishment did not stamp Aaron as the greatest right fielder of the era, which encompasses all seasons since 1961. That honor goes to Larry Walker, a fellow Hall of Famer who played for the Colorado Rockies, Montreal Expos, and St. Louis Cardinals.
Today’s right-field rankings constitute the eighth installment in my weekly review of the Modern Era’s greatest players. Follow these links to read previous stories about the top catchers, first basemen, second basemen, shortstops, third basemen, left fielders, and center fielders.
Walker and Aaron rank first and second, respectively, among the 163 right fielders who made at least 2,500 plate appearances between 1961 and 2022. Each player must have spent at least 40 percent of his games as a right fielder to qualify for this list, though the rating formula took entire statistical records into account, including stats attained at other positions. (Click here to learn more about the rating process.)
It's important to remember that these rankings are confined to the Modern Era. Walker’s entire career (1989-2005) settled comfortably within that span, but Aaron’s initial seven seasons came prior to the era’s 1961 starting point. That means his first 1,309 hits and 219 home runs — as well as his only Most Valuable Player Award — are excluded from the calculations.
Walker was the era’s sole right fielder to post career statistics above all three of the following benchmarks — a batting average of .300, a slugging percentage of .500, and a ratio of bases per out (BPO) of 1.000. His numbers were undoubtedly enhanced by his 10 seasons in Denver’s rarefied air, yet the Hall of Fame’s voters were nonetheless convinced of his excellence.
Aaron, even after his first seven seasons were excised, still topped the group with a total of 96.3 wins above replacement (WAR). And he was one of only four right fielders to average more than 5.0 WAR per 500 plate appearances.
Walker was assigned a score of 1,000 points after the 10-part formula determined that he was the frontrunner. The scores for all other right fielders were based on their relative performances, beginning with Aaron at 976 points.
Rounding out the top five are Roberto Clemente, who played 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, including 12 in the Modern Era; Vladimir Guerrero, who spent 16 years with four clubs (notably the Expos and Los Angeles Angels); and Tony Gwynn, who donned the uniform of the San Diego Padres for 20 seasons. All three have been enshrined in Cooperstown.
Statistical breakdowns for the Modern Era’s top five right fielders can be found below, followed by a list of the next 15.
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1. Larry Walker (1989-2005)
Score: 1,000 points
WAR: 72.7 total, 4.5 per 500 PA, 2.0 defensive
Averages: .313 BA, .565 SLG, 1.041 BPO
Scoring: 2,283 R generated, 142 per 500 PA
Totals: 1,988 G, 2,160 H
Notes: Walker batted .350 or better in four different seasons, all with Colorado. That included his best year, 1997, when he hit .366, topped the National League with 49 home runs, and won the Most Valuable Player Award. He also demonstrated an ability to hit at lower altitudes, as with his .322 BA and league-leading 44 doubles for Montreal in 1994.
2. Henry Aaron (1961-1976)
Score: 976 points
WAR: 96.3 total, 5.1 per 500 PA, -4.3 defensive
Averages: .298 BA, .552 SLG, .963 BPO
Scoring: 2,478 R generated, 132 per 500 PA
Totals: 2,259 G, 2,462 H
Notes: Aaron played only 68.5 of his games in the Modern Era (2,259 of 3,298). His two batting titles and aforementioned MVP trophy came prior to 1961. But he still finished among the top 10 MVP vote-getters in eight elections between ’61 and ’71. He led the NL in slugging percentange and home runs three times apiece and RBIs twice during that span.
3. Roberto Clemente (1961-1972)
Score: 924 points
WAR: 80.3 total, 5.7 per 500 PA, 8.4 defensive
Averages: .331 BA, .507 SLG, .849 BPO
Scoring: 1,818 R generated, 129 per 500 PA
Totals: 1,662 G, 2,139 H
Notes: Clemente was renowned as an all-around player, an impression confirmed by his statistics. He won four batting titles after the Modern Era dawned, attaining his highest average (.357) in 1967, a year that was notably favorable to pitchers. His exceptional skill in the field was documented by 12 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1961 to 1972.
4. Vladimir Guerrero (1996-2011)
Score: 859 points
WAR: 59.5 total, 3.3 per 500 PA, -10.0 defensive
Averages: .318 BA, .553 SLG, .932 BPO
Scoring: 2,375 R generated, 131 per 500 PA
Totals: 2,147 G, 2,590 H
Notes: Guerrero won the American League’s MVP trophy in 2004 by hitting 39 home runs, driving in 126 runs, and batting .337 for the Anaheim Angels. He launched at least 30 homers in eight different years, reached triple digits in RBIs 10 times, and batted .300 or better in 13 seasons.
5. Tony Gwynn (1982-2001)
Score: 833 points
WAR: 69.2 total, 3.4 per 500 PA, -7.6 defensive
Averages: .338 BA, .459 SLG, .829 BPO
Scoring: 2,386 R generated, 117 per 500 PA
Totals: 2,440 G, 3,141 H
Notes: Gwynn signaled his impending stardom in his third season, 1984, when he took the National League’s batting title with a .351 average. He won seven more crowns over the next 13 years, peaking with an awe-inspiring BA of .394 in 1994. His career average of .338 ranks as the highest for any Modern Era right fielder, beating runner-up Clemente by seven points.
Next 15
6. Frank Robinson (1961-1976)
7. Sammy Sosa (1989-2007)
8. Mookie Betts (2014-2022)
9. Bobby Abreu (1996-2014)
10. Gary Sheffield (1988-2009)
11. Dave Winfield (1973-1995)
12. Dwight Evans (1972-1991)
13. Reggie Jackson (1967-1987)
14. Juan Gonzalez (1989-2005)
15. (tie) Aaron Judge (2016-2022)
15. (tie) Ichiro Suzuki (2001-2019)
17. Brian Giles (1995-2009)
18. Al Kaline (1961-1974)
19. Magglio Ordonez (1997-2011)
20. Bobby Bonds (1968-1981)